A mere three teams and 537 days since the last time Andrew Bynum appeared in a competitive NBA game, there he was, lumbering off the Cavaliers bench with 3:40 to go in the first quarter of Cleveland’s first game on Wednesday. The crowd on hand, despite never having seen Bynum play a minute for the home team, gave him a standing ovation.

Bynum didn’t do much on the stat sheet. He had little impact on the game for the first two minutes of his appearance, before taking a pass on the low left block against Reggie Evans and preparing for his specialty, some work in the post. He went to his counter move, spinning toward the baseline for a shot, but had it blocked by Andray Blatche, coming from behind on the help defense.

Bynum finished with just three points and three rebounds, shooting 1-for-5 from the floor in a little more than seven minutes of play. He did block two shots and intimidate the Nets from driving the lane when he was lurking.

“We’re a different team when he’s out there,” coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game. That’s true, but it’s hardly the point.

The Cavaliers were willing to take a free-agent risk on Bynum and his gimpy knees—multiple injuries to both knees kept him out for the entire year after he was traded to Philadelphia before last season—this summer only because they would have limited financial responsibility if Bynum were again unhealthy. Bynum’s contract is technically worth $24 million over two years, but only $6 million of that deal is guaranteed for this season, and the team can opt out of the contract altogether next year.

Thing about a low-risk gamble, though, is this: You do have a chance to be a big winner if things break just right.

Breaking just right in this case means the Cavaliers getting Bynum back and having him eventually reach something close to the All-Star level he showed in his final year with the Lakers, in 2012, when he averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds, shooting 55.8 percent from the field.

The immediate impact of a healthy Bynum could be a shakeup in the East, with the Cavaliers having developed a solid core built around All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, as well as power forward Tristan Thompson and guard Dion Waiters, plus No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and free-agent signees Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark. Plop Bynum into the middle of that mix, and the Cavs go from a possible playoff team to a team fighting to crack the Top 5 in the East.

There could be future ramifications, too. After this season, the Cavaliers have the ability to clear more than $22 million worth of cap space, which is not including the $12 million they would owe Bynum if they keep him. But if Bynum gets back to form this year, the Cavs will use up a chunk of that space on bringing him back.

Still, the Cavs will have more chances to clear out cap room, possibly enough to make a run at a maximum-level free agent. The LeBron James returning rumors have persisted, but that is a longshot. A healthy Bynum along with an emerging Irving, though, does make Cleveland a particularly attractive free-agent destination, meaning that before long, the Cavs could have gambled themselves into position to develop a contender.

That’s hypothetical, of course. Bynum’s knees have been troublesome since he was in high school, and it is likely they’ll be a disaster waiting to happen for as long as he is in the NBA. His appearance on Wednesday was a surprise, though, and at the very least, it gives Cavs fans reason to hope that something big is on the horizon.